Two-Line Torah: Ki Tisa 5777–Plans derailed

This week’s parasha, Ki Tisa, features one of the most noteworthy Biblical stories–the story of the Golden Calf.  When Moshe doesn’t return when expected from Mt. Sinai, the Israelites create and worship a golden calf.  Hashem wants to destroy the Israelites but Moshe intercedes and convinces Hashem to forgive the people, even after Moshe smashes the tablets that contain the Ten Commandments.  Moshe then ascends once more to Mt. Sinai, and returns again with new tablets.  

This story is relevant to life on campus in that it is inevitable that when working on a project, whether it’s for school or Hillel, something won’t go quite as planned.  That being said, it is important not to let frustration derail you the way it derailed Moshe in his mission to bring the Ten Commandments to the Jewish people.  And, even if you do face a setback, you can still move forward in the end, just like Moshe did when he got the tablets the second time.

Monica Sass is a member of the Washington University in St. Louis class of 2019.